Mower County transcript., 1887-07-06

1ONS NJ tu0 puUAlC TcCOCu LcllS OF u, =.
Grant and George n. Thomas, we can
not be at loss for heroes for whom to
erect monuments like those of Nelson
to stand side by side with the one which
now graces our capital City of George
Washington
I'm 1851 General Lee was colonel of
cavalry on leave of absence at his home
at Arlington, and U. s. Grant was an
humble citizen of Galena, ILL.,, toiling to
support his family. He at first gave little
heed to the polictical murmurs creeping
over the land by reason of the election Of
Mr.. Lincoln, and the talk of secession at
the South; but when the telegram an
nounced that the United States flag had
been fired on in Charleston Harbor, he
reused up, presided at public meeting
of his fellew citizens, instructed them
how to organize themselves into COM
pany of soldiers, and went along
with them to Springfield. In due
time he was made Colonel of a regiment
of volunteers, conducted it to Missouri.
and in December, 1861, reached Cairo, Ill.
His career from that day to this is fam
liar to every school-boy IN the land. He
moved in cooperation with the gun-boat
fleet up the Tennessee to Fort Henry, to
with its entire garrison of II, 600 men sur
rendered without conditions; then on to
Shiloh, where one of the bloodiest and
most successful battles of the war was
fought, which first convinced our South
| ern brethren, who had been taught that
| one Southern man was equal to five
Yankees, that man to man was all they
wanted-then Vicksburg, Chattanooga,
every where victorious, every
where successful, fulfilling the
wise conclusion of Mr.. Lincoln that he
wanted military success" Then he was
called for the first time in his life to Wash
| lngton to command an army of perfect
strangers, under new conditions and in a
strange country. Casting his thoughts
| over continent, giving minute instruct
| ions for several distinct armies from the
Potomac to the Rio Grande, himself as
suming the hardest share, he began cam
paign equal in strategy, in logistics, and
in tactics to any of Napoleon, and grand
er than any ever contemplated by Eng
the Rapldan in the face of Lees army,
BY the left flank to Spottsylvana, to
Richmond, and Petersburg, was the sub.
Unity of heroism. Of course, he had q
superiority of numbers and resources,
but nothing like the disproportion stated
by General Wolsely. At Vicksburg he
began, in May, 1858. the movement with
less numbers than Pemberton surrended
to him along with Vicksburg in July. At
Chattanooga he attacked his enemy in
the strongest posistion possible-so
strong, indeed, that Bragg, most
thorough and intelligent soldier, regarded
it as unassailable, and had detached
Longstreet's corps to Knoxville, of which
mistake Grant took prompt advantage,
and, never heard before that Bragg
thought the pursuit after his defeat was
not quick and good enough to suit HIM;
and, finally, when Lee was forced to dee
from his intrenchments at Richmond and
Petersburg by Sheridan's bold and skllful
! ceded that the pursuit by Sheridan and
Grant was so rapid that Lee was COM
PEELED to surrender his whole army.
Grants strategy" embraced continent,
Lees small state: Grants ''logistics"
were to supply and transport armies
thousands of miles, where Lee was limit
! ed to hundreds. Grant had to conquer
| natural obstscles as well as hostile people
his "tactics" were to fight wherever and
whenever he could capture or cripple his
adversary and his resources, and when
Lee laid down his arms and surrendered,
Grant by the stroke of his pen, on the in.
slant gave him and his men terms
SO liberal as to disarm all criticism.
Between these two men as generals
will not institute q comparison, for the
mere statement Of the case establishes q
contrast. Il
81 offer another name more nearly re-
sembling General Lee In personal char
acteristics, General George III. Thomas,
probably less known In England, but who
has larger following and holds higher
place In the hearts and affections Of the
American people than General Lee He
too, was Virginian, and when Lee re-
singed from the army in 1851 Thomas
succeeded him as Colonel Of the second.
Regular Cavalry. A graduate OF West
Point Of the class OF 164O, who had serv-$
ed his country in the Florida war, In the
Mexican war. and In campaigns against
hostile Indians. rising with honor and
credit through oil the grades at each
stage taking the usual oath to defend the.
United States against oil her enemies
whatsoever, foreign and domestic. When
the storm Of civil war burst on our coun-E
try, unlike Lee, he resolved to- stand by
his oath and fight against his native
State to maintain the common Union OF